In testing of drugs, canines are frequently used in the testing program for determining dosage and efficacy. In such programs, the intake of the test animal is carefully controlled, and the excrement is measured and analyzed to determine the retention and/or absorption of the drug by the digestive system of the animal. The collection of all of the animal excrement from the laboratory cages often is not possible, and quantative measurements are thus not reliable.
Furthermore particularly during a animal pet's early years, it is frequently necessary to provide specimens of fecal matter to the veterinarian in order to test the animal for worms or other animal problems, and the collection of the fecal matter and transport of it to the veterinarian is inconvenient at the least and distasteful in many cases.
In urban areas, it is desirable to avoid fouling the pedestrian areas with animal excrement, and in many areas it is illegal to leave animal excrement in or adjacent public walkways. Accordingly, many devices have been developed for picking up animal excrement so that it may be disposed of in suitable receptacles.
In addition to the aforementioned problems of collecting and/or disposing of animal excrements, it is frequently necessary to confine household pets to kennel areas when they are ill or untrained, so as to avoid damage to the household by their defecating in the living areas of the house. It would be desirable to have an effective appliance for entrapping the pet's droppings, to avoid the necessity of confining the pet to a kennel.
In order to solve these problems, various devices have been invented for fitting onto an animal in the nature of a diaper or other device which is designed to entrap the animal excrement and avoid damage to the household. In most cases, the presence of the attachment is a discomfort to the animal and the animal tries to dislodge the attachment so as to avoid the discomfort.